July 25, 2017 12:57 am

Summer is the season of cranking up that good old AC unit. But if you’re in the market for a new unit, you may be confused by all of the offerings. What is best for you?

"Many homeowners assume that bigger is better when it comes to an air conditioning system, but this is not the case," says Mike Nicholson, owner of Nicholson Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning. "An oversized air conditioner can cause just as many issues as an undersized system can."

Problems with an oversized air conditioner

According to Nicholson, the air conditioning system has two jobs: it lowers the temperature of the home, and it removes moisture from the air. "If a unit is too large," he says, "it starts up and shuts down more frequently because it runs for only a short period of time to meet the thermostat set point. Then a few minutes later, it comes on and again runs for a short time. The rapid short cycling wears out the HVAC equipment out faster."

The more this occurs, the shorter the life of the system. These short cycles also impede the ability of the system to dehumidify the air as efficiently as a right size system otherwise would. In order to dehumidify the air, the system needs to run longer and not short cycle.

Problems with an undersized air conditioner

An undersized HVAC system does not put out enough air to properly cool the home and will struggle to reach the desired temperature. The unit may run longer than it needs to, as the space that it is trying to cool is too large for its output capacity. Not only will this drive up energy costs, but it will also put excessive wear and tear on the system. It may result in operational problems more frequently than it otherwise would. The long cycles of an undersized air conditioning system will result in very dry air in the home, as the HVAC system removes humidity from the air the entire time it is in operation.

If the homeowner is considering investing in a new air conditioning system for a new property or ready to replace an old, ailing system, it is important to work with a trained professional to ensure that the AC is of the right size for the home. If not, the homeowner will encounter a number of different issues while trying to cool the living space.